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Chaosium Digest Volume 02 Number 08
Chaosium Digest Volume 2, Number 8
Date: Sunday, June 6, 1993
Number: 2 of 3
Contents:
The Tourney at Castle Ebrium [Part I] (Fergal Somers) PENDRAGON
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From: Fergal Somers <Fergal.Somers@cs.tcd.ie>
Subject: The Tourney at Castle Ebrium [Part I]
System: Pendragon
Tourney at Castle Ebrium.
Pendragon Scenario
Leprecon XIV 20-21 February 1993
(c) copyright Fergal Somers 1993
Background
This adventure takes place in and around the ancient castle of Ebrium,
a fortress deep in the heart of the wild fens of Angleland. Ebrium is
the ancient seat of King Martius, last in his line. Over the last
hundred years, due to constant Angle incursions and the enchantment of
Britain, Ebrium has fallen from the powerful and influential position
it once held. What now remains, is a poor shadow of its former self;
the castle has fallen into disrepair, with many of the rooms now
unusable due to rot, damp and destruction. King Martius is a seldom
seen figure, suffering a debilitating illness, from which his surgeons
believe he will never recover.
Some time ago the brash Lord Idres arrived to pay homage to the King,
and although it has yet to be announced, it is common knowledge that
the King, realising that his own mortality is upon him, intends to
marry his daughter Elaine to this rich southern knight. As a gesture
of good faith, Idres has advanced a loan of #1000 librum to King
Martius to renovate the castle, and to this end, building has at last
begun on the outer walls and in the dungeons of the castle itself. A
tourney has been planned at which it is speculated, the marriage of
the beautiful Elaine and the dashing Idres will be announced.
Scenario
The player knights are en route to a tourney at Castle Ebrium. There
are many other knights travelling to this tourney. While travelling
through the forest, the player knights horses become spooked
[Horsemanship rolls to stay seated] as a terrible screeching and
beating of huge wings is heard close to the righthand side of the
track. If the Player knights investigate, they encounter an enormous
griffin (see stats) worrying a bloody corpse on the ground. The
griffin will not immediately attack the Player knights, but will wait
for their response. If attacked the griffin will make a feeble
attempt to fight, but will eventually attempt to flee, back to its
nest.
Griffin
SIZ 40 Move 14 Major Wound 25
DEX 20 Damage 8d6 Unconcious 16
STR 40 Heal 7 Knockdown 40
CON 25 HP 65 Armour 10
AP / Glory 250 Valorous Mod -5
Notes:
2 clawed paws @ 17 each against one or two targets.
Grapple @ 10 where upon it flies upwards and drops the hapless victim.
Both forms of attack are done while swooping from the air.
Once the griffin has departed, the Player knights are free to examine
the body. What they see before them is a half-eaten body covered in
blood. The Player knights will also notice that the body has a very
deep sword wound accross its back. If the Player knights care to
look, they will notice that the body's purse is still full and
contains #3 librium, far too much money for the garments the body was
clothed in. If the Player knights search the body, they will find a
sealed letter [handout #1] in the inside of the body's boot (if they
don't, then an awareness roll finds it for them).
A Meeting In The Woods
If the Player knights try and track hoofprints, they will travel
through the forest for 20 minutes, and then hear noises up ahead
[Awareness rolls: you hear female laughter]. At the sound of the
Player knight's approach, the figure up ahead dashes quickly off
through the woods. The Player knights must make three successive
horsemanship rolls to follow this character. Those who do make it,
from time to time catch a glimpse of a female rider with long flowing
blonde hair. [The rider is Lady Constance and she is returning from
her task of delivering a message from her mistress Lady Elaine to the
(now dead) messenger.]
Finally, the Player knights reach a clearing in the forest where a
knight (Sir Peter of Salisbury) sits on horseback atop a bridge.
Behind him the Player knights can just see the female figure ride off
through the woods. The knight carries a red shield with an two-headed
eagle motif; and he states that it is his custom to challenge all
knights who wish to cross this bridge. This is patently untrue; Lady
Constance has asked him to stall the following knights, in order to
give her time to reach the castle safely. The Player knights have a
choice of accepting the challenge (which uses rebated weapons), or
finding another route accross the river (there's one about 30 minutes
ride upstream).
Arrival At Castle Ebrium
It is late in the day when the Player knights are met at the castle by
the marshall of lists. He assumes the Player knights are here for the
grand tourney. He will need names and a sigil from each of them. He
informs them of the course of the tourney, which will be a two-day
affair (day-one jousting, day-two grand melee). The Player knights
must decide which team they wish to represent (the hosts , ie castle
knights, or the visitors, ie everyone else).
It is obvious that the castle is being hastily renovated. The outer
wall of the castle are breached in a number of places. Hasty
reconstruction work has blocked up these breaches, but they do not
look very solid. A second more solid construction is being applied to
some of the repaired breaches. The construction work is being
directed by Lord Idres. It would appear that he is hasty to get a
semblance of a outer wall together, and then make it more solid as
time allows. This has no importance on the adventure, but should
confuse the overly suspicious player knights somewhat.
Presentation At Court
The Player knights are directed to the main feasting hall where
knights are already gathered. Each of the Player knights must present
himself to the King Maritus in turn. King Martius, Lord Idres, Gumret
the surgeon, Lady Elaine and Constance are all present. King Martius
is barely able to acknowledge the Player knights as they present
themselves. Gumret constantly murmurs things into the Kings ear.
[Recognise rolls: Although her hair is now tied back, Constance is
definitely the rider from this afternoon]. Constance is seated beside
her mistress and engaged in conversation, but she does not acknowledge
the player knights unless confronted.
The Player knights are seated amongst the knights of the feast. Here
is an opportunity for roleplay and intrigue. The Player knights
should be able to find out about the approaching engagement, King
Martius' health and the loan from Lord Idres. If the Player knights
mention the dead messenger, the court will be shocked, but not much
else. [Awareness rolls: if player knights are familiar with Idres'
men they will not register surprise]. If the Player knights mention
the letter, the same reaction [Awareness: Lady Elaine and Constance
blush slightly].
The remainder of the adventure is split into the two days of the
tourney. The players may attempt to find-out about the letter (this
involves questioning the NPCs), or simply loll about in blissful
ignorance.
Tourney Day One
Events: Breakfast, opening ceremony, Jousting and secret rendezvous
and murder.
Breakfast
Due to the large number of knights visiting the castle, the Player
knights are allocated a room above the stables. They are woken in the
morning by a servant girl bearing a pot of light stew. [Recognise: it
is Lady Elaine's maid Constance]. She obviously enjoys this game of
stealth.
"My lords be silent for a while, I come to ask a boon, that you delay
your questions over yesterday's meeting for but a short time. There is
a time for everything under heaven, and in good time your questions
will be answered, but now I must go before I am missed. Good day
Gentlemen."
If the Player knights confront her with the letter, she will initially
stumble and then claim that she fell in love with the knight of the
green leaf, and declared her intention to marry. However, her
mistress expressly forbade it, claiming that he was beneath her
station. In spite of this, she has defied her mistress and meets him
in secret. She intends to elope with him (with or without Elaine's
consent). She then implores the knights to keep her secret.
[Intrigue/Suspicious rolls: she's nervous about this (this of course
could be because the knights might spill the beans), critical success:
she's lying through her teeth]. In truth, it is her mistress who is
unhappy and is secretly meeting the knight of the green leaf. Exit
Constance.
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony consists of the heraldry of all the visiting
knights being hoisted atop the castle walls. This provides a means to
judge who is here. It also allows people to raise grudges against
entrants (dishonourable acts bar you from entry - I hope none of the
players have been dishonourable). The ladies of the castle line the
walls waving their favours at the knights. The Lady Elaine and her
maid constance can be seen talking to Lord Idres.
The Player knights overhear a commotion between the master of lists
and a knight bearing a white shield with an emblem of intertwined
green leaves. He refers to himself simply as the Knight Of The Green
Leaf (KOGL). The Knight refuses to give his name, but is willing to
place his heraldry up for show.
The knight of The Green Leaf is Sir Hervis, the intended recipient of
the letter from Lady Elaine. For months, he has waited for a word
from his love Elaine, but no word has come. Believing himself
spurned, he has almost given-up hope. Lately he has heard rumour of
Elaine's intended marriage and of the upcoming Tourney. He is
visiting the Tourney as this nameless knight in order to view the
situation whilst remaining annonymous. Sir Hervis is a complete red
herring, simply there for misdirection.
Jousting
Knights are encouraged to enter this. The winner is first to unseat
his opponent three times. The winner stays to defeat all oncomers (of
course if the winner is seriously wounded then he is allowed to rest).
Have the player knights joust off against one another. Here are some
rules
% Horsemanship rolls [Critical: +5 to Lance skill this round, Failure:
-3 to Lance skill, Fumble: Knight must make DEX roll to stay horsed
(-5 modifier to lance skill if DEX roll is successful)]
% Roll on Lance skill (opposed resolution). Since this is a joust,
actual damage is only done on a critical roll (which is then only
normal damage). Damage is the horse's damage roll (6d6).
% Knockdown (Damage > Characters SIZ), character must roll under DEX
(-10 modifier for knights is in armour), to stay seated. Otherwise,
falls and sustains d6 damage.
% If the knight rolled an odd number on his Lance Skill, the jousting
lance broke and he must obtain another.
The Knight Of The Green Leaf Victorious
In the course of the lance challenge, have the winning PC be met (and
clearly beaten) by Sir Hervis, who later goes onto to beat Lord Idres
and win the challenge. At the prize giving (by Lady Elaine
accompanied by Lord Idres), this knight is still helmed. He refuses
the purse, but asks instead the Lady's favour for the melee tomorrow.
This (to the disgust of Lord Idres) Lady Elaine does, tieing her
favour to his proferred Lance saying "To the rightful victor all
spoils". She also whispers something to him which no-one else can
hear. He then gallops-off into the forest.
Optional Day One Events
Searching out the Knight Of the Green Leaf
The Player knights may wish to follow the Knight Of the Green Leaf and
ask him a few questions. If they attempt to track him [Hunting rolls]
they will arrive in a clearing in the forest in the centre of which
lies a richly decorated pavillion. The KOGL's shield lies outside,
his horse grazes nearby.
If the Player knights wish to question him, he will claim that he is a
simple knight in search of adventure. He has taken up arms ever since
he was spurned by the woman he was pledged his love for [he won't name
names]. If questioned as to Lady Elaine, he will say that he has been
beguiled by her beauty and she now haunts his waking hours as well as
his dreams.
Lady Elaine
(see description of Lady Elaine). The Player knights will be greeted
by a courteous hostess. Remember, the Player knights are not major
figures and so should not be allowed to take-up too much of her time.
Lord Idres should appear to whisk her off for some task or other.
If the Player knights confront her with the letter, she will call them
aside and spill everything.
"It is true, this is my hand, these are my words. I've tried to be a
dutiful daughter, but am I not entitled to happiness too? What of my
wants and desires? I cannot marry him [Lord Idres], for I do not love
him, and lost my heart long ago to another."
Elaine will not be drawn on the subject of her lover. She asks that
the Player knights keep her secret, for she intends to leave the
castle and elope. [Hospitality: strictly speaking it would not be
dishonourable to allow her to elope, however the Player knights should
not afford her any help]
If Constance has already claimed that the letter was from her, then
Elaine will clear-up this piece of misdirection:
"Constance was only thinking of my welfare, my Lords. She meant no
mischief by it. If my father found out, he would be furious, worse he
would marry me without delay. Please do not be angry with her, she
meant no harm, only to protect her mistress."
Feast Day One
At the feast that evening, the Player knights will notice that
Constance does not accompany Lady Elaine [Awareness: Elaine is a
little a little nervous]. Halfway through the feast, the King starts
to cough quite badly and the surgeon is summoned. After a
considerable delay, the surgeon Gumnet arrives sporting a large scrape
on his left cheek and immediately engages Lord Idres in heated
conversation. If asked about it, he is claims it was a hawking
accident: "foul bird attacked me!" If the player knights try to verify
this it is met with surprise. It is unclear where Gumnet would have
gotten a hawk, and no one has ever seen him go hawking. It is not
something you just do, hawks are expensive. Shortly afterwards, Idres
and Gumnet exit together.
Later, Lady Elaine will slip out and make her way out of the castle,
into the forest, to wait at the bridge over the river. The Player
knights are free to watch as she meets the Knight of the Green Leaf.
Following Idres and Gumnet
The pair leave the feasting hall and swiftly depart for Gumnet's room,
shutting the door tightly after them. If the player knights try to
listen at the door [Awareness roll: they hear Gumnets voice raised in
a mixture of fear and anger, but cannot make out his words. However
Idres' voice is clear]
Idres: "I want him dead! I haven't spent this much time and money, to
have some bastard knight ruin it all"
Gumnet: Something indistinguishable.
Idres: "Tomorrow, before the melee"
Shortly thereafter Idres will leave the room, bumping into the player
knights. This will alert Idres to the player knights' interest.
Being a suspicious fellow, he'll have them assasinated. He does not
need to answer any of the players' questions unless you want him to.
That night, the stables where the PCs are staying will be put to the
torch. Energetic rolls [success there player wakes to see a dark
shape hovering over their bed, nasty dagger pointed at them]. There
are three figures in the room. They switch to swords. The players
have no armour on presumably. When the first two are engaged by the
players, the third will dash out the dorr and bolt it from the
outside. In two rounds smoke starts billowing upwards from the damp
straw in the stables below. In a further two rounds all people in the
room sustain d3 temporary inhale-smoke damage. Also -10 modifiers to
weapon skills, because it is hard to see. The door can be broken down
if three players make their strength rolls together.
Lord Idres' Baddies (x 3)
SIZ 14 Move 3 Major Wound 14
DEX 11 Damage 4d6 Unconcious 7
STR 14 Heal / Knockdown 14
CON 14 HP 28 Armour 10
AP 11 Glory 10 Valorous Mod /
Notes:
Skills: Sword 15, Lance 10, Dagger 13 (does one dice less damge).
Traits: Valorous 15.
They have surprise (initial attack unopposed).
By the time the player knights get outside, the castle has been
alerted to fire and the horses are being let out. The barn of course
burns to the ground destroying all evidence except for charred bones.
The players are rehoused in a room in the castle. If the player
knights accuse Lord Idres of being behind it, he'll at first laugh,
and then become angry, demanding satisfaction on the field of battle
tomorrow morning (to the death of course).
Tourney Day Two
Murder, Hunting, Betrayal, Griffins and Death.
The Player knights awaken to another day at the castle. When they,
arise the preparations for the melee are not in full swing. The Lady
Elaine stands alone, opposite the player knights, at the edge of the
motte. If asked about Constance, she will claim that she hasn't seen
her since yesterday afternoon when she went to tend to her father the
king. In fact she is more than just a little worried about her. If
the players are still labouring under the misconception that Constance
is the author of the letter (see Breakfast section) then Lady Elaine
will clear this up. If asked where everyone is, she says that the
fabled Questing beast was spotted in the woods and with that, all the
knights dashed headlong on its trail. It seems the melee is being
postponed.
Lady Elaine is still in high spirits and attempts to steal a sword
from the Player knights and engage them in mock combat, claiming that
knights always make much of swordskill, but it is a little thing.
With a misjudged thrust, Lady Elaine should unbalance one of the
Player knights who will fall in the motte [Dex roll: modifier -10
armour]. To the unfortunate Player knight's horror he will fall on
top of the chained body of Constance. She lies white and bloated
among the weeds of the motte, weighed down to conceal her fate. Lady
Elaine faints.
If the player knights make premlinary investigations about the
movements of Constance, they'll find out that she was tending to the
king, but later went in search of the surgeon, to obtain a cordial to
allow him to sleep.
The Surgeon
The obvious lead is the surgeon Gumnet. He is in his room packing
bottles when the Player knights arrive. He will deny everything,
including Constance's visit, but a little violence will bring him
round. Eventually he'll break down.
"Lord Idres, that's the devil you seek. He wants this castle as his
own and does not care to wait too long. I have a long and coloured
past my Lords. He threatened me with exposure and a swift hanging.
So, I had no choice but to do as was bid, and procure a foul poison
which would slowly end the life of my master. For the past few
months, I have been administering just such a poison to the King."
If asked about lady Constance: "The lady Constance did visit me
yesterday, but I was not in. Undeterred, she entered my room and when
Lord Idres and I arrived, we found her reading my papers. She claimed
to be looking for a potion to allow the King some solace, but Lord
Idres did not believe her. I watched powerless as he strangled her
right here in this room and then had his men spirit her out of the
castle."
If the Player knights ask for a cure: "There is but one, the yolk from
a griffin's egg is needed to make an antidote, and I'm the only one
who knows how to make it. But you must make haste, for there is
little time to waste, the king grows weaker by the hour!" He'll then
attempt to make some deal with the Player knights. Remember, if the
Player knights promise anything, then breaking their words is a
dishonourable act.
Since the knights, including Sir Idres, have not yet returned from the
Hunt, there is little else to be done.
The Griffin
Luckily not far from the castle, atop a barren hill, is a griffin's
eyrie. The Player knights will not be able to approach it on
horseback. The nest is constructed from stones and branches piled 10
foot high. The players must make DEX rolls to climb over [-10
modifier for armour]. Inside the nest are three large eggs. First
however the characters need to deal with the Griffin (see stats
above). The Griffin will fly away whenever wounded seriously,
returning when the knights attack the nest.
-End Part One-
-The Tourney at Castle Ebrium Concludes in the Chaosium Digest V2.9-
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